Wind turbines are devices that convert wind power into mechanical energy and if they are used to convert wind power into electricity, they are called wind generators. If they are used for milling or pumping water, they are called windmills. The power of the wind has been harnessed by man for centuries and we have found many uses for it.
We have used them to move ships and boats. For over five thousand years now, people have put sails on boats and ships to navigate oceans to discover and conquer new lands. The Egyptians are probably the first people to use sails on their ships. Then came the Romans who used them extensively to power all their fleets, ships that were big enough to carry over a thousand tons of cargo and a large number of people. Their travels range from transportation to trade to conquering other lands. The Vikings also used sails to explore and conquer North America.
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During the twelfth century, windmills began to appear in Europe and were horizontal-axle sunk post mills. They used these for grinding grains and pumping water. During this same time, there also windmills being used in Afghanistan but these were vertical axle windmills. Some historians argued that the crusaders brought windmills from the Middle East while some argue that windmills from Europe are of an entirely new and independent invention. The Dutch were using them to drain parts of the Rhine River delta during the 14th century. By the 1900's, there were more than 2500 windmills operating in Denmark which were primarily used to mill grains and pump water. Between 1850 and 1900, more than 5 million were operating in the American Midwest to pump water.
In July of 1887, the very first wind turbine was invented by Scottish Prof. James Blyth in Glasgow. It was 33 foot high; the sail were made from cloth and was put in his holiday cottage. It was used to charge accumulators or what is now called capacitors. His house was the very first one to have electric power from the wind. In 1887, Charles Brush built a heavier and bigger turbine in Ohio. It had a rotor that was 56 feet in diameter mounted on a 60 foot tower. Although it was bigger, it was only able to produce about 12 kilowatts of power. The first practical development of wind turbines was probably made by Poul la Cour of Askov in 1891, and by 1907, there were about 72 generators operating with power that range from 5-25 kilowatts.
Brothers Joe and Marcellus Jacob opened a factory in 1927 to produce turbines for use in farms that were out of reach from electric distribution lines. The Darrieus wind turbine was invented in 1931. It was one that an accept wind from any direction without the need for readjusting. By the 1930's, small turbines were being used in American farms, these had power outputs of 200 watts. Also during the same years, the Dunlite Corporation of Australia were building hundreds of turbines for farms and isolated postal offices. And in 1941, the very first megawatt sized wind turbine was installed and connected to the electrical distribution system in Vermont, USA.
By 1970, people wanted to be self-sufficient but solar panels were too expensive so they turned to wind turbines. At first, people tried to build wind turbines for homes and used car engines and parts. They soon found out that these were not as simple as they look. Other company saw the market for these and reconditioned turbines from the 1930's and sold them as wind turbines for homes. By 2000's, a wind turbine for homes can generate up to 80 percent of a homes power needs.
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